Roasted Blueberry Balsamic Goats Cheese Ice Cream

After a strawberry balsamic ice cream that I recently made(look for a recipe soon!), I have really been wanting to pair blueberries and balsamic as well. This idea actually came from a major ice cream fail the other night. I made a blueberry basil ricotta ice cream and I was NOT a fan. Maybe it’s because I have textural issues when it comes to ice cream. I like it super smooth and the ricotta left it gritty and grainy, even after I pushed the base through the finest-mesh sieve you ever did see.

Maybe it was the basil that was overpowering the blueberry completely, even though I only used a few small leaves. Whatever it was, it was not an ice cream that I wanted to eat so I threw the whole thing out.

But, I still wanted to make a blueberry ice cream. Turns out, roasting the blueberries with a little balsamicvinegar really brings out the tangy blueberry flavor. AND it gives it the most gorgeous color you have ever seen. This ice cream you see in the pictures? That is the exact color you will get in this ice cream. SO vibrant.

My favorite part about this ice cream is the goats cheese. If you are apprehensive about using a savory cheese in an ice cream, don’t be. Goats cheese was made to be paired with blueberries and balsamic. Once you get past the tangy, fruity bite of the blueberry in the ice cream, the goats cheese comes through all mellow and creamy.

It’s dreamy.

Let’s just say I love this ice cream just a lottle bit. (yes, lottle is a word. In my world, anyway).

You can use fresh blueberries, or frozen. Whatever is more convenient. The roasting is what brings out that gorgeous intense purple color. I used frozen for this recipe and they worked wonderfully. Just let them thaw overnight in the fridge first, before you roast them.

I served this ice cream alongside my favorite olive oil cake, which is another recipe I really need to post. I think I’ve made it three times in the last two months. It’s amazing. And really great for serving uniquely flavored ice creams with as it is such a simple cake on it’s own.

Toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of the sugar and the balsamic vinegar in a baking dish or pie pan. Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.

While the blueberries are roasting, prepare the custard base. Beat the egg yolks together in a small mixing bowl and set aside. Whisk together the 1 cup of the milk, salt, and the remaining ¾ cups sugar in a small saucepan. Heat on medium/high until milk begins to steam. Pour about ¼ cup of the hot milk into the egg yolks while whisking constantly. Pour the tempered egg yolks back into the saucepan with the milk and whisk constantly just until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl.

Whisk the goats cheese into the hot custard until no lumps remain. Whisk in the remaining ½ cup of milk and lemon juice.

When the blueberries have finished roasting, scrape into a blender along with their juices and the heavy cream. Puree until very smooth.

Push the blueberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve over the bowl of custard base. Discard solids. Mix the blueberry/custard mixture together and chill for several hours or overnight.

Freeze mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions. Scoop ice cream into an airtight container and freeze until solid.

Allow ice cream to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before scooping.

Just gorgeous and creative work! both your photography and your food. I never follow blogs, but I would like to follow yours. I am not sure if that is possible. I have a WordPress Blog, that I never use, but I have never heard of Cafemedia.